She turned around the circle slowly, watching eyes, measuring emotions. Her heart grew lighter and lighter with every member she checked as their complete devotion became clearer. They hadn’t come to challenge Joshua and Anthony but to accept them.
Her survey at an end, Alexia frowned. One huge dilemma remained. “Where’s Anthony?”
Joshua moved forward and checked the group. “And where’s Michael? I can’t believe he’s not here.”
A shout rang out and all eyes spun to the ocean where a group of fins could be seen in the moonlight moving toward the shore. Alexia found herself in the middle of the group, protected by so many layers of bodies she could barely see.
A large dolphin was being herded toward them, harassed and prodded by at least twenty smaller bodies. Each time he tried to escape he was nipped or pushed until the group of them hovered off the shoreline.
The instant Michael resumed his human form, a gasp went up from the men around her. He sported a rather swollen black eye and various cuts and scrapes on his body. Another of the dolphins changed and Anthony appeared, his bright smile cutting through the fear that had risen in Alexia’s soul.
Anthony dragged Michael to the edge of the circle before releasing him. “You were called. Now witness and be silent.” He strode over to Alexia’s side and bowed. “My lady. My apologies for being late. It seems someone didn’t hear the call, and I didn’t want him to be able to claim a false choosing later on.”
Alexia closed her eyes. Everything was ready. Her pod was ready to accept her. Her lovers were there. She just needed to be able to change.
A shiver raced over her skin and she lifted her hands to the sky, stretching her arms to ease the pain in her back. The tingling sensation in her limbs increased, and even with her eyes shut she could see the bright blue glow that seemed to fill the circle surrounding her. Voices roared in her ears for a moment before falling silent.
It was time.
She lowered her arms and took a deep breath. She needed to be brave and finish this to the best of her ability. Slowly she exhaled and opened her eyes to see Anthony and Joshua watching her closely, and she smiled. She held out a hand to each of them and they surrounded her, holding her tightly.
She kissed Joshua first. It was only right since he’d been the first to kiss her so long ago. The first to bind her heart and soul to the merfolk. His mouth was soft under hers, an echo of the hesitant caress of the youth, and she nipped his lower lip lightly before drawing away.
Then she kissed Anthony, a hot, possessive kiss that thawed the last of the fear from her that had snuck in when he’d been absent from the circle. He was her fire and passion, her wildness set free, and she let him know how much she loved that side of him as she offered herself.
Finally breaking away, she was breathless as she whispered to Anthony. “Do I need to say anything special?”
He laughed and twirled her in his arms, water spraying in the air around them. “Look around, love. Who are you going to speak to?”
Alexia’s head swung back and forth, but the shore and water were empty except for her, Anthony and Joshua.
“You chose, sweetheart,” Joshua said. “In front of all of them, including Michael. Thank you, Anthony, I never thought he might try to pull a fast one.”
Anthony wrapped Alexia tight in his arms and stroked her skin. “I tried to make sure we had all the bases covered. Thomas was keeping an eye on Michael for us. That boy is a little too precocious. He felt the call and wondered why Michael remained sitting on the beach, grinning. I don’t know how he was planning on explaining how everyone else heard the call but I didn’t want to give him any opportunity to plan mischief in the future.”
“Was it the youth who helped herd Michael in here?” Alexia asked.
Anthony nodded. “They like you, Lady Alexia. They like your choice of consorts.” His cock pressed into her belly and the urgency of her desire returned in a flood. “We just need to keep young Thomas away from you.”
“Then keep me happy, boys,” Alexia purred as Joshua covered her breasts with his hands. The feel of four hands dancing over her body lit nerves already tight and ready to fire. She hesitated. There was one more thing. “Wait. Don’t I need to change or something first? To prove myself?”
Joshua grinned. “You changed, dear. When you closed your eyes and reached for the sky you changed to St. Elmo’s fire. I think you’re going to find people mind their manners very closely around you, because it’s very, very rare for someone who changes as an adult to have a fire form.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “I changed? Really? I thought something happened but it just felt…right. Does that mean I can do the other changes as well?”
Anthony slipped a hand down her body and nodded, his expression heating as his gaze followed the trail of his fingers. “You should be able to. So, what do you want to do, my lady? We could take you for a walk on the beach.”
Joshua moved in on her other side, his hand covering her hip. “We could take you for a ride in the moonlight.” He snuggled closer and touched a kiss to the pulse throbbing in her neck. “We could go and make love.”
Alexia giggled. “I know what I want.” She paused and bit her lip to stop from bursting out laughing. “I want to…” She pulled away from them and walked backward up the shoreline, tugging them by the hands. They grinned and the anticipation in their eyes lit her body with need.
She raised her brows a few times and then whispered, “I want to build a sandcastle.” She dropped to her knees and started digging the sand into a large pile.
Stunned silence echoed in her ears and she hid her grin from them. She’d barely made a small mound of sand before two sets of hands picked her up and she swayed from the heights of Joshua’s shoulder as he marched them back toward the house.
“Not that we don’t plan on fully supporting you in your role of matriarch, but are you nuts?” Anthony smiled sweetly at her as he followed behind, his cock tracking her like a homing missile. “I’m sure what I heard you say was you wanted to suck on my cock while Joshua fucks your pussy, then we’ll move on to your next request which was for me to fuck your ass while you suck Joshua.”
“Hey,” Joshua shouted back. “I thought I got her ass this time. You’re such a pain, Anthony. So damn greedy.”
They laughed together as she bounced on his shoulder, the water retreating in the distance as Joshua’s rapid pace brought them back up the rock path to the house. Back to their home.
Joshua lowered her carefully to the floor in the living room, his hands cradling her tenderly, opening space on her other side for his cousin to join them. Anthony stepped forward and stared her in the eye, a spark of mischief mixed with the heat. “You’re right, Joshua, I must have misheard her. She said she wanted to ride me while you took her ass. That’s what you want, isn’t it, sweetheart?”
Alexia licked her suddenly dry lips with a mouth too parched to speak. It had all turned out fine. She still longed to feel what it was like to change into a dolphin. She still wanted to swim as a merfolk and breathe underwater. But this…this was what she needed right now. She nodded silently, breathlessly, and heard her lovers whoop with delight.
Right before they took her upstairs and did everything she wanted.
Epilogue
One month later
Three dolphins slipped away from the rest of the pod, dancing through the waves at the end of the morning swim. They spun in the air and crashed to the surface, splashing and chasing each other through the crystal-clear water. The smaller one leapt the waves and entered the water, sliding over the larger body that dashed ahead so she would land on him. She turned on her tail and darted away, trying to outrace her lovers, but they had more power and they knew how to trap her, closing the gap around her until she was surrounded. All three shimmered and changed to their merfolk bodies, sinking toward the bottom as their naked bodies twined together.